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F –1 STUDENTS AND THE CO-OP INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
All students are able to take advantage of
LaGuardia Co-op program. The Co-op internship program provides
meaningful work experience at a variety of organizations.
As an F-1 student in legal immigration status,
you can take advantage of this program and even get paid
for it. You can do the internship part-time or full-time.
However, as an F-1 student you are responsible for
obtaining permission to do a paid or unpaid internship
from the Foreign Student Advisor (FSA). The FSA will authorize
work on the back of your 1-20 form. You cannot work
for one day or one hour without permission from the
FSA.
You can begin your paid internship if you have
delivered following information to the Foreign Student Office
(FSO).
-
Permission to
register form (given to you by your Co-op advisor)
-
Completed form I-538
-
I-20 Form
In order to be eligible to do a paid internship
you must:
-
Have a valid passport.
-
Be in legal F-1 Status for at least 9 months.
What happens if you fail to apply for permission
to do a paid internship before you begin work?
-
You will violate your F-1 Status and
lose all F-1 benefits.
-
You will be asked to stop working immediately.
-
You are subjecting the
employer to a fine by the Department of Labor (DOL)
if they find out the company has hired someone who
is not authorized to work.
If you register late for the actual Co-op internship,
you can begin your paid internship as long as you have delivered
the required documents to the FSA.
EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION ISSUED BY THE FSO
IS EMPLOYER-SPECIFIC.
The employment authorization for paid internship
issued by the Foreign Student Office on the last page of
a foreign student’s I-20 Form mentions the internship
company where the intern will do his/her internship. If you
later switch the intern from one company to another you need
to inform the Foreign Student Office of the change.
Foreign Student Office (FSO): M-144, Ext. 5145
Office hours: M & T 9 am – 5 pm,
W & R 1 – 7 pm, F closed to students. |
